A 62 year old ward head of Faru Village in Jibiya Local Government Area of Katsina State Lawal Adamu has confessed to have chained, locked up and starved his 5 year old biological son for being stubborn.
Adamu who said this at the Katsina police headquarters added that, he now regrets his action calling on parents to always find a way to punish their wards rather than mete out degrading and inhumane treatment to them.
The minor before his rescue was already a shadow of himself because of the ill-treatment meted out to him by his own biological father as, he has become very lean with his bones physically visible and wounds all over his body.
The 62 year old ward head of Faru village in Jibiya Local Government Area Lawal Adamu, was arrested by the police after the matter was reported by the boy’s aunt who came to check up on him.
Adamu who has 6 children, confessed to have divorced the mother of the boy and only chained him for 3 days due to his stubbornness as, he always goes to play and return home late at night.
The ward head said, he always locks up the boy when going out for his own daily activities and returns at night to unlock him.
He said, due to Insecurity in the area, he was afraid something bad may happen to the boy reason, he took such action.
Though he said, the action is regrettable especially now that he is in police net and seeing the boy in such condition, he pleaded to be forgiven.
He further said, as a title holder and custodian of the tradition, children are gifts from God who needs to be taken care of, adding that he will not be happy to see another man do same to his child.
Arrested alongside the ward head is his 32 year old second wife and stepmother to the boy, Suwaiba Lawal.
She said, whenever she tells the man to unlock the boy and free him, he always scolds her saying, the boy is his child that he is free to do whatever he feels like doing to him.
Suwaiba added that, the man never catered for the boy in terms of food, health and other basic things as, she alone shouldered the responsibility feeding him with locally made spaghetti and rice.
She added that, the boy’s condition is so because, apart from being chained in the house for 3 days, he was also down with malaria and no money to take him to the hospital because of the father’s refusal to provide.
She also said, the wound on the boy’s hand was as a result of fire burn by Fatima, one of the man’s daughters.
According to her, she really tried her best to assist the boy and regrets not to have reported the case to security agencies before now.
The police image maker said the man will be charged to court for cruelty to a child using the child protection law.
The minor is already in a facility receiving treatment and responding well.
(Editor: Nkoli Omhoudu)
